Nine times out of ten, it would take no more then 5 minutes to determine whether or not an educator is a truly and genuinely a good teacher. Though good is a subjective term, I think most can agree upon what makes a good teacher. The general response would include traits such as the following: organized, timely, kind, well mannered, understanding, clear, respectable and presentable, communicative, friendly, professional and puts others best interests before their own. These traits are almost universal to what would compose of a good, or mostly good person. In teaching, the educators teaching philosophy would generally act as a backbone for these traits. My personal teaching philosophy is simplistic and adaptable in method, approach and behavior. It does not only touch base on what is to be expected from my students, but myself as an educator as well. Three main, and crucial parts of my teaching philosophy include, but are not limited to, being clear and understood, promoting a dynamic and adaptable learning environment, and allowing for exploration that will help students find who they could be.
Though the concepts, subjects and teaching materials may not always be simple and clear cut, my hope is that the environment and standards of my classroom will remain consistent, simple and easily understood at all times. For instance - when looking at classroom rules and policies, there can often be a lot of fuzzy, in-between-the-lines, misunderstood expectations, directions and standards. I can look at collecting homework as an example. If half the class passes an assignment in at the beginning of class, while the other half (who may not have finished but planned on doing so during class), passes the assignment in at the end of class once it's completed, is it considered late? Some may say yes and others may say no. To keep clean, even keeled policy, the rule needs to be simple and consistent: homework will always be collected at the beginning of class, or handed in at the end of the session. This is just a brief example, however it displays why a clear cut, consistent conduct is important. With well developed and understood standards, there should be no room for something, or someone to fall off kilter. I feel if I don't hold myself to a consistent standard, my students will feel no reason to do the same. There is a beauty in simplicity; science is just that. Pieces fit together, the connection is made, and the puzzle finds a smooth, operable way of running. A flower is not a true flower if it does not have all of it's parts. Likewise, a teacher and classroom can not be a successful unit if the individuals do not work together to find success - and that is quite simple.
Another major tone of my teaching philosophy is to be adaptable. If a method, lesson or instruction is not working - the answer is to try something new. If I portray myself as being unwilling to change, make accommodations or explore new resources, will my students be likely to change their minds about wanting to learn biology? The answer, most likely, is no. But, if I can adapt my teaching to cater to certain groups, styles or functional methods of learning, will the targets become engaged? One could only hope so, right? A classroom is full of individuals, not just students. To me, the word student implies almost "robot-like" characteristics. The perceived schedule of a student could be as follows: wake up, eat breakfast, go to school, learn, go home, do homework, some sport or activity, eat dinner, and go to bed - on repeat. Wrong. Though this could be true for some, it may not be true for all. Approaching my classrooms as groups of individuals vetoes the idea that students can act as robots and meet the demands of robot five days a week. This concept is one that accepts change, accommodation, adaptability and exploration. Plus, if I'm teaching robots, that means I must act like a robot as well. And to be entirely honest, I'm far, far, far from a well oiled, consistently flawless, "robot-like" person.
A final, and one of the points that I feel most personally connected to, is allowing for exploration and real life relation that help students discover who they truly are. Though education is about learning the core subjects, becoming knowledge, performing well and succeeding, the underlying message and goal is to help students discover who they are, who they would like to me, and who they can become. Biology is easy to apply, because it is everywhere. It is us. We create it, we become it, we affect it. In a classroom, finding a vehicle to help students connect and grow based of a biology topic could come in a number of ways. There are many controversies which the population cannot agree on in our biological world. Discussing these topics not only lead students to wonder where on the spectrum they fall, but segway into many other topics that congeal the arguments and issues together. Allowing the development of these conversations and ideas in the classroom allow students minds to expand, grow, develop and apply to themselves. This practices not only enhances their biological studies, but helps them find their place and stance in the mist of this large, confusing and unexplored world.
So, at the end of the day, things might have been a little messy. Lessons might not have gone as planned, the class may not have preformed as well as expected, and I too, may not have been the best teacher I could have been. But, was it fun? Did they laugh or enjoy themselves today? Did we try something different? Did anyone get anything out of class? Did they at least learn something that can help them find who they want to be, even if it has nothing to do with science? Did I encompass the qualities I define as a good teacher? My aspirations are that each of these questions can be answered affirmatively at the end of the day, with little to no exceptions. A simple, adaptable, supportive and safe learning environment can help us do just that. And if students can help figure out who they are, or find a gear that could make them a better version of themselves, then I think I would have done my job. Because after all, this isn't really about me at the end of each day, but the individual scientists that fill the seats of my classes.
My Teaching Philosophy still speaks to who I am, who I have become as a teacher, and what I expect of myself. I would like to add and emphasize on the idea of reflection. My last paragraph speaks to what reflection looks like in my mind. Reflecting on your practice and skill as a teacher is incredibly important. We learn from our mistakes, through trial & error, and through feedback and exploration. As we encourage our students to do so, we too, need to continue to do so. At the end of the day, I can only fix myself and my approach. It is clear when things are not working or not going as well as they could. It is important to not ignore these facts, and cower to sticking to our guns & plans. This is always a moment to look in the mirror and ask yourself, "What can I do to change this picture?" This will be a constant battle of teaching, that I am endlessly looking forward to.
Though the concepts, subjects and teaching materials may not always be simple and clear cut, my hope is that the environment and standards of my classroom will remain consistent, simple and easily understood at all times. For instance - when looking at classroom rules and policies, there can often be a lot of fuzzy, in-between-the-lines, misunderstood expectations, directions and standards. I can look at collecting homework as an example. If half the class passes an assignment in at the beginning of class, while the other half (who may not have finished but planned on doing so during class), passes the assignment in at the end of class once it's completed, is it considered late? Some may say yes and others may say no. To keep clean, even keeled policy, the rule needs to be simple and consistent: homework will always be collected at the beginning of class, or handed in at the end of the session. This is just a brief example, however it displays why a clear cut, consistent conduct is important. With well developed and understood standards, there should be no room for something, or someone to fall off kilter. I feel if I don't hold myself to a consistent standard, my students will feel no reason to do the same. There is a beauty in simplicity; science is just that. Pieces fit together, the connection is made, and the puzzle finds a smooth, operable way of running. A flower is not a true flower if it does not have all of it's parts. Likewise, a teacher and classroom can not be a successful unit if the individuals do not work together to find success - and that is quite simple.
Another major tone of my teaching philosophy is to be adaptable. If a method, lesson or instruction is not working - the answer is to try something new. If I portray myself as being unwilling to change, make accommodations or explore new resources, will my students be likely to change their minds about wanting to learn biology? The answer, most likely, is no. But, if I can adapt my teaching to cater to certain groups, styles or functional methods of learning, will the targets become engaged? One could only hope so, right? A classroom is full of individuals, not just students. To me, the word student implies almost "robot-like" characteristics. The perceived schedule of a student could be as follows: wake up, eat breakfast, go to school, learn, go home, do homework, some sport or activity, eat dinner, and go to bed - on repeat. Wrong. Though this could be true for some, it may not be true for all. Approaching my classrooms as groups of individuals vetoes the idea that students can act as robots and meet the demands of robot five days a week. This concept is one that accepts change, accommodation, adaptability and exploration. Plus, if I'm teaching robots, that means I must act like a robot as well. And to be entirely honest, I'm far, far, far from a well oiled, consistently flawless, "robot-like" person.
A final, and one of the points that I feel most personally connected to, is allowing for exploration and real life relation that help students discover who they truly are. Though education is about learning the core subjects, becoming knowledge, performing well and succeeding, the underlying message and goal is to help students discover who they are, who they would like to me, and who they can become. Biology is easy to apply, because it is everywhere. It is us. We create it, we become it, we affect it. In a classroom, finding a vehicle to help students connect and grow based of a biology topic could come in a number of ways. There are many controversies which the population cannot agree on in our biological world. Discussing these topics not only lead students to wonder where on the spectrum they fall, but segway into many other topics that congeal the arguments and issues together. Allowing the development of these conversations and ideas in the classroom allow students minds to expand, grow, develop and apply to themselves. This practices not only enhances their biological studies, but helps them find their place and stance in the mist of this large, confusing and unexplored world.
So, at the end of the day, things might have been a little messy. Lessons might not have gone as planned, the class may not have preformed as well as expected, and I too, may not have been the best teacher I could have been. But, was it fun? Did they laugh or enjoy themselves today? Did we try something different? Did anyone get anything out of class? Did they at least learn something that can help them find who they want to be, even if it has nothing to do with science? Did I encompass the qualities I define as a good teacher? My aspirations are that each of these questions can be answered affirmatively at the end of the day, with little to no exceptions. A simple, adaptable, supportive and safe learning environment can help us do just that. And if students can help figure out who they are, or find a gear that could make them a better version of themselves, then I think I would have done my job. Because after all, this isn't really about me at the end of each day, but the individual scientists that fill the seats of my classes.
My Teaching Philosophy still speaks to who I am, who I have become as a teacher, and what I expect of myself. I would like to add and emphasize on the idea of reflection. My last paragraph speaks to what reflection looks like in my mind. Reflecting on your practice and skill as a teacher is incredibly important. We learn from our mistakes, through trial & error, and through feedback and exploration. As we encourage our students to do so, we too, need to continue to do so. At the end of the day, I can only fix myself and my approach. It is clear when things are not working or not going as well as they could. It is important to not ignore these facts, and cower to sticking to our guns & plans. This is always a moment to look in the mirror and ask yourself, "What can I do to change this picture?" This will be a constant battle of teaching, that I am endlessly looking forward to.